Jolt to TMC Ahead of Bengal Polls as Rebel Leader Suvendu Adhikari Resigns as Transport Minister

In a jolt to the Trinamool Congress leadership ahead of the Bengal assembly polls next year, rebel TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari tendered his resignation as State Transport Minister on Friday. The announcement was made by West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who said that the “issue will be addressed from constitutional perspective”.

“Today at 1:05 pm a resignation letter of Mr. Suvendu Adhikari from office as minister addressed to Hon’ble Chief Minister has been forwarded to me. The issue will be addressed from constitutional perspective,” Dhankhar tweeted.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government had on Thursday replaced Adhikari as chairman of Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) and appointed TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee to the post. In an order issued by the state transport department on Thursday evening Banerjee was named the new HRBC chairman with “immediate effect”.

Sources in the state government had said that Adhikary, who is currently maintaining distance from the party and the government, had resigned from the post of the HRBC chairman on Wednesday.

Earlier, Adhikari had said that he will make his political announcements from a political platform. “I won’t say anything related to politics from this platform of cooperative society. Although at times the difference of opinion leads to divergent views, and then results in separation”. Calling himself “a 24×7 politician and not a seasonal bird,” Adhikari said “Whatever posts I hold, I have been elected to all these posts. I am not a nominated leader. I am a leader who works among the masses throughout the year. Be it Cyclone Amphan or the COVID pandemic – I have been with the masses”.